This invention relates to packages for displaying hand tools and particularly at point of sale displays. More specifically, this invention relates to packages which house hand tools in a manner allowing them to be operated while in the package so the customer can experience the feel of the handle and operation of the tool without opening the display package. The invention relates to both blister packages and clam packages.
Blister packages customarily are used to mount small items of hardware, stationary and other goods on a display card under a blister covering made of transparent, stiff, but flexible material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and applied to the display card by heat and pressure-adhesive techniques. Blister packages have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,029 entitled "Blister Packages for Scissors, Pliers and Other Hand Tools," issued to Fethke et al. on Aug. 28, 1979, and 4,165,805 entitled, "Functional Blister Package for Snipper-Type Scissors," issued to Fethke et al. on Dec. 18, 1979.
The '029 patent and the '805 patent show hand tools with a pair of loop handles. The packages are designed as packages which enable the customer to operate the tool while it remains in the package. One loop handle is freely movable and the other loop handle is totally enclosed by the blister packaging. This configuration for the blister packaging is sometimes disadvantageous because the user does not get the feel of the handle which is completely enclosed by the covering. Further, this configuration can be disadvantageous because hand tools with non-looped or straight handles cannot readily be accommodated by this style of packaging.
A clam package utilizes two surfaces shaped in the form of the product which is to be held. The surfaces generally are snapped or otherwise held together by mechanical or adhesive methods.
Alternatively, the two pieces may be manufactured so the surfaces include integral snap-over edges or snap-together elements for resilient engagement. Further still, a clam package can be manufactured using a clasp made from a peg and a hole which securely fasten the two surfaces together. U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,474 entitled, "Locking Display Package," issued to Harding on Apr. 23, 1985, discloses a clam package with two pieces held together by an interlocking means including a round female portion and a square male portion.
Heretofore, clam packages have not been designed so a hand tool can be functionally displayed within the package. Generally, a customer has been required to open the clam package, thereby destroying its integrity, to get the "feel" of the hand tool. Thus, clam packages have not been designed so that a customer can operate a hand tool while it remains in the package.
Thus, there is a need for a package of the foregoing ilk which can accommodate non-looped hand tools such as clippers, pruners or other hand tools. Further, there is a need for a package which enables the user to feel both handles. Further still, there is a need for a clam-style package of this sort.